Trucker Tech

Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 4

Download Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 4

In the Gear and Gadgets portion of Trucker Tech's fourth podcast episode I take a quick look at a specific cellular signal amplifier marketed as the the Arc Wireless Freedom Antenna. After that I discuss the many positive attributes of the Cyfre and Peak Reception line of cellular amplifiers. You may recall an older post, which still gets quite a bit of traffic, regarding, among other things, the Cyfre CA-819 Direct Connect Amplifier; well...both Cyfre and Peak Reception now have more than that to offer those seeking signal boosting devices.

Keeping with the cellular theme, I discuss the recent revelation by Verizon Wireless that, sometime in 2008, they'll be opening a portion of their network to outside devices, applications and services. Finally, I offer a brief discussion regarding the Linksys NAS200 storage device; as well as one or two reasons why you might consider adding Network Attached Storage to your home network.

The tech tip for episode 4 has to do with the issue of setting up a personal Virtual Private Network. I usually suggest that most folks, if they need a VPN for hotspot security purposes, go with the JiWire Hotspot Helper but it's entirely possible, and fairly easy, to get similar security, plus the ability to remotely access and control another computer on your home network via the Internet, by setting up your own VPN.

Lastly, my commentary, not surprisingly, has to do with the probable demise of SiriCOMM. I'm not just rehashing my previous posts here, rather, I'm a bit steamed about the events leading to the eventual separation of truckers from their money; receiving nothing in return.

Quick Links

Cellular Signal Boosters

• Arc Wireless Freedom Antenna
• Freedom Antenna @ 3G Stores
• Cyfre
• CyfreAdapters.com
• Peak Reception
• Maximum Signal

Network Attached Storage

• Linksys NAS200
• Linksys NAS200 Setup Video

Setup Your Own VPN

• LogMeIn Hamachi
• RealVNC
• LogMeIn Hamachi Tutorial
• Remote Control Another PC Securely with VNC and Hamachi: Tutorial
• Hamachi Info from Wikipedia
• Setup a Free VPN (Article)
• Buy "Over the Road Wireless For Dummies" @ Amazon.com

Open Cellular Networks & Google Android Security Concerns

• Google Waves $4.6B in The Face of Spectrum
• Android @ F-Secure
• Google's Android platform could complicate security
• Open Handset Alliance for Developers

The bumper music I use in this podcast comes from the PodShow Podsafe Music Network. Check it out at 'music.podshow.com'. If you'd like more information regarding the songs and artists just leave a comment and I'll fill you in.

My Odeo Channel (odeo/fcbb724b34f9b157)

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-93a3f84f7a829507233805ec2a81b679}

SiriCOMM Bites the Dust - Can Flying J Rescue WiFi?

Yesterday, I published a post at the Life on the Road blog entitled How to Rescue Truck Stop Wi-Fi. In this post I discuss the fact that Flying J is actively seeking to create a single, industry-wide, Wi-Fi network. From the inception of truck stop Wi-Fi I've hoped that a single subscription to a WiFi hotspot service could be used at every truck stop. I know this is probably a bit too much to hope for, especially since there are quite a few truck stops operating independently of the major chains.

Still, a Wi-Fi hotspot subscription that would cover even the major chains would go a long way toward furthering the adoption of the technology by a larger number of drivers.

From the time I became a laptop totin' trucker, back several years ago, and through today, one of my major goals in life has been to promote the use of technology as a means to make the Over-the-Road lifestyle just a little bit better. I see an industry-wide network as a stepping-stone on the road to achieving that goal.

Unfortunately, most of the entreaties by Flying J to the decision-makers at the other truck stop chains have gone unanswered. There are many reasons for this, aside from the fact that they're all competitors in a very competitive business that offers slim profit margins, but there comes a time when competing, and even adversarial, entities need to lay their differences aside and simply do the right thing.

I'm urging the heads of all the major truck stop chains, and even the independents, to contact your counterparts at Flying J Communications and express an interest in sitting down at the bargaining table. I don't think any hard and fast plan of implementation has been formulated by those at Flying J, seeking to unify the WiFi network, so I'm sure everyone's needs and interests can be discussed on an even footing. But nothing can happen unless action is taken.

I think everyone has had enough of the "Here today, gone tomorrow" business model that ends up robbing truckers of their hard earned cash. I'm not sure how, yet, but we need to make our voices heard. And here's another thing - you might well be one of the many thousands who prefer to use Cellular Broadband; fine. That doesn't preclude you from showing an interest in this issue if only for the good of those many thousands who, like me, prefer Wi-Fi or for that even greater number of truckers who sit on the sidelines doing nothing because the sea of choices seems to choppy to navigate. Do what I'm asking of the truck stop chains; put your self-interest aside for a bit and support a worthwhile cause just because it'll benefit your fellow truckers.

More About eValue Talk

A couple of days ago, in response to a request for information that I'd made regarding eValue Talk, I got an email from Flying J Communications and it included some information that I didn't have when I made my first eValue Talk post. For example:

• eValue Talk will be out of Beta and fully released in a couple of weeks.
• The fully released eValue Talk program will be, essentially, identical to the Beta program.

Also included in the email was a bit of information regarding future features that, if they can swing it, might one day be included with eValue Talk. There's no guarantee that these features will show up anytime soon; there's not even a guarantee, as a matter of fact, that they'll show up at all. That being said and understood; here's what they told me they're still working on at the Flying J Communication VoIP labs:

• Video Calls: According to their spokesman, they have "some technical and strategic issues that we are trying to work through but we think it would be neat to teach professional drivers how to video call their families at home."
• Allowing PC-to-PSTN Calls: Meaning that you could call a land-line from your laptop. Again, according to their spokesman, this is something that's "(t)echnically very easy since we already have our switching equipment and we are already certified as a long distance carrier. Strategically it is something we really want to do. The hold up is that the FCC has required E911 to work from VoIP calls and it is physically impossible to do with a mobile hotspot VoIP caller. We have no way to switch the call to the correct local dispatch and provide address information."

So there you have it. As I said in my previous post I think eValue Talk is a great product and I think you should give it a try. Assuming that you do, let me know what you think and, by the same token, if anything new comes up regarding the eValue Talk program, or anything else related to Flying J Communications, I'll let you know.

eValue Talk

You can say what you want about Flying J. In seemingly equal measure I've been both impressed and infuriated by them. The fuel desks, for example, seem to suffer from infuriatingly inadequate staffing numbers but, on the other hand, the few folks that do work the desk are, impressively, unfailingly friendly and capable.  Since I believe the attitude and abilities displayed by the employees of any organization are a direct reflection of the management and, since the employees I've encountered seem to be both interested in and capable of meeting my momentary needs, I've drawn the conclusion that Flying J has adopted the philosophy of Zig Ziglar: "You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Flying J, started by O. Jay Call in 1968, has grown from four gas stations into the largest retail distributor of diesel fuel in North America using a business model known as "Vertical Integration". Vertically integrated companies tend to be very self-sufficient because they produce and control their own supply. Knowing this, I was not at all surprised when Flying J established yet another subsidiary, Flying J Communications, to provide and oversee, among many other things, it's Wi-Fi service. When other truck stop chains, seeking to provide Wi-Fi service for their customers, were partnering with dubious Internet Service Providers like Truckstop.net; Flying J was setting about the business of becoming an ISP unto themselves. By doing so, they were able to control every aspect of their service and thereby avoided every single problem experienced by customers of the "other guys". When the fortunes of Truckstop.net went south Flying J even offered to let those customers use their remaining subscription balance on the Flying J Wi-Fi network.

Now another advantage that Flying J has over the competition has to do with their ability to provide VoIP service. At first glance, eValue Talk doesn't seem to be a big deal because, at least in its current beta-testing form, you can only make PC to PC calls - and then to only two other people. (Its really easy, though, to reassign the two secondary extensions.) It's doubtful that such a limited VoIP service will cause Skype and Vonage to quake in their boots but what you may not realize is that Flying J hotspot users taking advantage of the free eValue Talk service will likely experience higher call quality than truckers making Internet calls through any other VoIP provider.

The reason for this lies within the 802.11e Wi-Fi standard that defines Quality of Service enhancements considered critical for delay-sensitive applications like VoIP. By implementing the 802.11e standard within their Wi-Fi hotspots it's possible for Flying J to identify and give priority treatment to VoIP calls made using their eValue Talk service. They can do this because they're vertically integrated - providing both the Internet and Voice over Internet services. Even if you subscribe to another VoIP provider you should give eValue Talk a try and, if it's not too much trouble, let me know what you think.